Birmingham-On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK organised an important webinar highlighting the ongoing suffering and human rights violations faced by Kashmiri women living under Indian occupation in Jammu & Kashmir.
The webinar was chaired by Fahim Kayani, President of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK and President of the All Parties International Kashmir Coordination Committee, and moderated by Rehana Ali (Advocate), Information Secretary of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK.
The discussion brought together prominent Kashmiri leaders, human rights activists, and elected representatives who spoke about the systematic oppression faced by Kashmiri women, including mass rapes, enforced disappearances, the phenomenon of “half-widows,” and the trauma of losing loved ones in Indian detention centres and fake encounters.
Speakers highlighted that for decades Kashmiri women have been subjected to collective punishment, psychological trauma, and the burden of raising families alone after their husbands were either disappeared, imprisoned, or killed. Many women continue to live in uncertainty as “half-widows,” not knowing whether their husbands are alive or dead.
Among the distinguished speakers were:
•Shaista Safi, exiled Kashmiri leader from Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir
•Mushaal Hussein Mullick, Chairperson of the Peace and Culture Organization
•Shamim Shawl, Executive Member of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC)
•Zaffar Ahmed Quraishi, Chairman of the Kashmir Council for Justice (KCG):
•Cllr Majid Hussain
•Cllr Ishrat Naz Shah
•Cllr Sehrish Lone
•Nosheen Khalid, Independent candidate for Birmingham City Council
•Former Cllr Dr Zahida Abbas Noori
•Shaam Abbasi, President of APWA
•Naila Azmat, Human Rights Activist
Speakers stressed that the stories of Kashmiri women remain largely unheard by the international community, despite decades of documented human rights abuses. They called upon the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and democratic governments to take urgent notice of the plight of Kashmiri women and to hold India accountable for violations in the region.
In his concluding remarks, Fahim Kayani emphasised that Kashmiri women have shown extraordinary resilience despite decades of suffering, but the international community must not remain silent.
He stated: “The courage of Kashmiri women in the face of oppression is remarkable, but resilience should never be used as an excuse for the world to ignore injustice. The international community must ensure accountability and justice for the victims of human rights violations in Kashmir.”
The webinar concluded with a collective call for greater international awareness, justice for victims, and a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and relevant UN resolutions.
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